


Hunger

by Bug_53



Series: The Zootlight Zone [1]
Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Angst and Humor, Be Careful What You Wish For, Gen, Horror, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-24
Updated: 2020-04-19
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:47:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 16,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22872724
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bug_53/pseuds/Bug_53
Summary: Judy and Nick have known each other for a couple years now, and they both get along very well. All the same, Judy sometimes wishes she could have just a little more in common with the tod. However, when a mysterious stranger grants her wish, Judy gets much more than she bargains for as her new palate begins to take over her life.
Relationships: Judy Hopps & Nick Wilde
Series: The Zootlight Zone [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1743073
Comments: 71
Kudos: 82





	1. Judy’s wish

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: For those of you with more depraved tendencies, this has 100% NO vore in it, at all. Never will, never was planned to. Sorry, run along to other things <3.  
> I want to thank InsomniacFox, Midlou, ARK, Dakzoo, Liar, Niko, Sally, Spelter, Rynadine and all my other pals on ZAA for all of their help and support while writing this story. You guys have made fanfic fun for me again, and I’m forever grateful.  
> Also big thanks to Giftheck for this story’s cover art.  
> UPDATE (2020-04-28): Thanks to the wonderful talents of TheBlueBerryCarrots, this story now features artwork! Find it on chapters 2, 6, and 7. Hope you enjoy it!  
> 

Nick’s face flushed as his belly gurgled  _ again. _ He didn’t want to tell Judy about what he needed to do, but he didn’t see any way around it. The pair walked out of the ZPD headquarters, having just finished their shift.

Judy grinned at Nick. “Sounds like someone’s hungry, eh Slick?” she teased, but her smile turned into confusion as Nick didn’t reply. “Hey, what’s the matter? Are you feeling alright, Nick?”

The fox was touched by the concern in Judy’s voice. “Yeah, it’s just…I have something to tell you,” he began. Judy’s brow furrowed, and she gestured for him to go on. “I…I need more protein,” Nick explained. “I haven’t been getting enough of it lately.”

Judy’s face fell even further as she processed his words. “Oh,” she said quietly. “So, that means that you’ll have to…”

“Eat meat, yeah,” sighed Nick. ”I really am sorry, Carrots. I wouldn’t do it if I had a choice, but right now I don’t.”

“It’s okay Nick, I understand,” Judy replied. “Do you want to go somewhere that can get you protein, or just buy some meat and go out another night?”

Nick sighed. He didn’t want to gross Judy out, but he didn’t have much of a choice. He resolved to find a way to make it up to her. “Tell you what,” he said, “if we go somewhere that serves meat tonight, then we can go wherever you want tomorrow night. My treat, okay?”

Judy nodded. She knew that Nick felt self conscious about eating meat around her, and she wished that there was some way to make him feel better. She always resolved to completely ignore the meat anytime Nick was eating it. If she didn’t acknowledge it then it would be like it wasn’t there. That  _ smell, _ though…Judy visibly shuddered. The smell was easily the worst part of it all, and it wasn’t like she could just  _ stop _ smelling it.

Nick noticed Judy’s discomfort, and felt a pang of guilt hit him. He knew he shouldn’t have made her do this. The fox started to say so, but Judy cut him off.

“It’s fine Nick, really. Now, let’s go get some food, alright?” Nick reluctantly followed Judy as they walked towards the nearest restaurant.

* * *

The meal passed in an awkward silence. Nick tried to eat as quickly as possible, while Judy focused on eating her salad and ignoring the cicada burger on Nick’s plate. Try as she might, though, Judy just couldn’t ignore the smell. There was no way to avoid it, and she grew increasingly frustrated. The whole thing wouldn’t be a problem if she wasn’t so easily nauseated. There were times where Judy just wished that she ate the same things as Nick, so they could avoid situations like this. That was impossible, though. She paid enough attention in school to know that there simply wasn’t any way for a rabbit to eat any sort of meat, even if they wanted to.

Judy looked over the table at Nick and made eye contact with him. He gave her a weak attempt at a smile, averted his eyes, and went back to eating. Judy sighed. She reminded herself of who she was with, and why she was even here in the first place. She would tolerate any amount of meat for Nick. She wanted to spend time with him, even if it meant she had to make a sacrifice.

Once Nick had finished eating, without saying a word, he paid for both meals, and then walked out the door. Judy ran after him, concerned. “Hey, I’m sorry,” she said “I…just…the smell…” 

“I’m the sorry one, Fluff,” Nick said solemnly. “I don’t want you to have to go through stuff like that every time I have to eat meat.” Judy kicked herself mentally as she noticed his face falling even further.

“Look, Nick, it’s not your fault,” she insisted. “It’s me. I just need to stop being so squeamish. I’ll get used to it, just give me some time.”

Nick felt a swell of appreciation as he looked at Judy. “Thanks, Carrots,” he said with a smile. “That really means a lot to me.”

Judy nodded and gave Nick a hug. They went their separate ways and Judy felt a bit better. This wasn’t going to be easy on her, but Nick was worth it. It would just take a bit of time. After all, it wasn’t like her distaste for meat would just magically disappear overnight, right?

* * *

Judy entered her apartment and placed her cellphone on her desk before changing out of her uniform into her nightgown. Tomorrow would be her and Nick’s one day off together that week, and she looked forward to spending it with him. As she prepared to settle in for the night, her phone suddenly began to ring. Upon picking it up, she saw a number on screen she didn’t recognize.

_ That’s weird, _ she thought.  _ Who could be calling me at this hour? _

She answered the phone. “Hello?” There was a brief moment of silence before a response came.

“…Good evening,  _ Judy. _ ” The voice on the other end spoke quietly and in a foreboding tone that raised Judy’s hackles.

“Erm…good evening?” she replied. “Who is this?”

“Someone who can give you your heart’s desire,” said the voice.

Judy was puzzled. “What are you talking about?” she asked.

“I’m talking about your wish, Judy,” replied the voice. “You  _ do _ have a wish, don’t you?”

Judy shook her head. “Look, I don’t know who you are or how you got my number, but if this is some kind of joke it isn’t funny,” she said firmly. “If you call me again I may have to report you for-”

The voice cut her off. “What about your desire to  _ eat meat? _ ” it said.

Judy’s heart skipped a beat. “E-excuse me?”

“That  _ is _ your wish, isn’t it? To eat meat?” the voice continued. “Like your fox friend… _ Nick? _ ”

Judy nearly jumped at the mention of her partner’s name. “How do you know-?!” She stopped herself short, then chuckled nervously. “Okay, I see what’s going on,” she said. “You’re one of Nick’s old hustling buddies, aren’t you? Did he put you up to this just to prank me?”

“Oh, but this is no prank, officer,” said the voice. “I’m as real as can be. Nick isn’t even aware of my existence.  _ No one is. _ ”

Judy felt her nose begin to twitch as she grew more anxious. “Who  _ are _ you?”

“I am the one who grants wishes,” the voice replied. “There isn’t a wish anyone has ever made that I’m not aware of. Every once in a while, I choose a certain special mammal and reveal myself to grant them exactly one wish. The wish that they feel most strongly about at that very moment.” There was a pause. “…and tonight, Judy, is your lucky night.”

“Then why don’t I  _ feel _ lucky?” muttered Judy. “So, what? Are you gonna do some kinda voodoo magic or something and make me able to eat meat?” she snarked. “I don’t know who you think you are, but the simple fact of the matter is that bunnies just aren’t built to eat meat like predators. It’s just the way we are.”

“I think you’ll find I’m more than capable of granting your wish,” the voice replied. “No matter how impossible it may seem.”

_ Somehow I doubt that, _ Judy thought.

“But I must warn you,” the voice went on, “any wish granted can have unforeseen side effects. Are you willing to take such a risk to have your wish granted?”

Judy was fed up by this point. “Yeah, yeah,  _ fine, _ ” she said sharply. “Go ahead, Mister ‘Wish-Granter.’ I wish I could eat meat! There, I said it! Now make it happen! I’d  _ love _ to see you try!”

There was a long silence after this. Judy stood waiting impatiently for a response. “Hello?” she said at last. “ _ Hello? _ ”

She then heard the sound of the phone disconnecting. She looked back at the screen to see the unfamiliar number once more. She immediately tried to dial the number back to see what happened.

She waited several moments as the phone tried to patch through, before she was finally answered by a pre-recorded message. “ _ We’re sorry, you have reached a number that has been disconnected or is no longer in service. If you feel you have reached this recording in error, please check the number and try your call again. _ ”

Judy hung up and stared at the phone screen again, baffled. She attempted to dial the number a few more times, but got the same results. “How in the-?”

Suddenly, Judy began to feel lightheaded. She quickly placed the phone down and gripped the desk, struggling to stand. The room began to spin, her stomach started to turn, her vision blurred and she felt faint.

She turned around and stumbled for a moment before collapsing onto her bed as everything went black.


	2. New tastes

Judy slowly opened her eyes, feeling dazed. As the room came into focus, she began to realize it was now daylight. She looked at her alarm clock: _7:14 AM._

She nearly had a panic attack upon seeing the time, but then relaxed as she remembered it was her day off. She sat up on the edge of the bed with one paw held to her head as the dizziness started to pass. She then spotted her phone on the desk, and remembered what had happened the previous night.

She quickly hopped out of bed, snatched the phone and went to her contacts for Nick’s number. After a few agonizing moments, an answer came.

“Hellooaaahh…?” yawned a very groggy voice.

“Nick? It’s me, Judy. I need to talk to you about something.”

“Awww, Carrots, can’t it wait?” the drowsy fox complained.

“Nick, this is important,” Judy insisted. “I got this really weird phone call last night and I- _…Nick?!_ ” The sound of snoring could be heard on the other end. “ _NICK!_ Are you listening to me?”

“Huh? Yeah…’course I’m listeehh…” Nick trailed off again.

Judy sighed. “Alright, you’re clearly not in the mindset for this right now,” she said. “Listen, if you can, meet up with me at the park later this morning and I’ll tell you everything then, okay?”

“You got it, Carrots,” replied Nick. “See you then…”

Judy hung up the phone and went to get dressed for the day.

* * *

Judy met up with Nick at the park late in the morning, close to noon. They sat next to each other on a bench and began discussing the previous night’s events. She described the voice on the phone as best as she could and tried hard to remember the conversation.

“I tried to call the number back afterwards, but it came back invalid,” she explained. “I don’t know what to make of the whole thing.”

Nick pondered for a moment. “He said he was going to ‘grant your wish,’ right?”

“Err…yes, why?” Judy asked, anxiously.

“What wish would that be, exactly?” Nick asked, a smirk beginning to appear on his face.

Judy was afraid he would ask. “Is that really important right now?”

“C’mon Carrots, you can tell me,” Nick said, encouragingly.

Judy looked downward, her ears falling behind her head. “Well,” she began slowly, “lately I…have kinda been thinking that…it might be nice if I could…” She paused for some time.

“…Yes?” Nick urged.

“If I could…you know…eat meat,” she finished quietly. “Like you.”

Nick was surprised. “Really?”

Judy looked back up at the tod’s face. “Well, yeah. I mean, I know we’re different species with different dietary needs, but…I don’t know, part of me wishes I had more of a taste for predatory foods, so we’d have a bit more in common.”

Nick looked at her for a moment, his face full of wonder. “Huh…I never knew you felt that way, Carrots.”

“Yeah,” Judy said quietly. “Is that…weird?”

Nick gave a smile and placed a paw on her shoulder “Nah, ‘course not,” he said kindly. “I’m kind of touched, actually. All this time I’ve been self conscious over having to eat bugs and fish around you, thinking it was insensitive or something.”

Judy smiled. “It never bothered me,” she said. “Besides, it’s not like you do it _that_ often.”

Nick chuckled. “Yeah, I’ve pretty much gone more or less vegetarian by now,” he said, leaning back and looking off to the side. “Suppose I can hardly call myself a predator anymore.”

Judy gave a small giggle, feeling very relieved by her partner’s reaction. “So, what do you think was with this ‘wish’ guy?”

“Eh, probably just some creep pulling a prank,” Nick concluded. “I wouldn’t worry about it.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right,” agreed Judy. “Still kinda weirds me out, though.”

At that moment, they both froze as a loud, low rumbling noise met their ears. Nick glanced back down in time to see Judy place a paw over her belly.

“Heh…sorry,” she chuckled, embarrassed.

Nick smirked again. “Sounds like somebunny skimped out on breakfast this morning,” he teased.

“Maybe a little,” Judy admitted. “I was so busy thinking about that phone call last night, I guess I didn’t eat as much as I thought I did.” Her stomach seemed to confirm this as another audible growl emitted from it, making her wince a bit as she felt it contort.

Nick got up from the bench. “What do you say we go get lunch, Carrots?” he offered. “Before your stomach starts to eat itself.”

Judy nodded in agreement and hopped off the bench beside him. As they walked through the streets of Savanna Central, Judy’s stomach continued to make its feelings known.

“ _Geez,_ ” she exclaimed, “I don’t think I’ve _ever_ been this hungry before.”

“With as much noise as your gut’s making, I’d imagine you’re right,” Nick laughed. “Listen, I’m gonna go grab a cicada burger to go real quick. I’ll be right out and we can go get you something.”

“A-actually,” Judy said, “can I go in with you? Maybe…try one myself?”

Nick stopped and looked at her, stunned. He gave a surprised laugh. “Y-you serious?” he asked with a smile. “Or are you just pulling my tail?”

“No, I mean it,” assured Judy. “I don’t know why, but it actually sounds good to me today.”

“Sounds like I’m rubbing off on ya, Carrots,” Nick chuckled as the two began walking to the front doors of the _Bug-Burga_ restaurant.

* * *

Judy sat at the booth in anticipation. She and Nick had just managed to beat the lunch rush, so he was able to get to the front counter fairly quickly. She was already getting weird looks from many of the other patrons and staff who clearly did not expect to see a rabbit in a restaurant meant with predators in mind, but the awkwardness was soon overruled by the intense hunger building inside her. She was beginning to feel like she would starve to death before their order could even be made. At last, patience prevailed as Nick walked up and set the tray of food on the table.

“Alrighty,” Nick said as he handed her one of the boxes, “one double Bug-Burga deluxe for the hungry bunny.” He sat in the seat opposite to her as he grabbed his own burger box.

Judy opened hers. The smell of the two grilled cicada patties filled her nostrils, accompanied by the aroma of the toasted bun and fresh chopped lettuce. The scent would normally make her somewhat nauseous, but this time, it was actually making her mouth water. She couldn’t for the life of her understand why this staple of predatory cuisine suddenly looked so appetizing to her, but she was so desperately hungry at the moment that she didn’t care.

She carefully grabbed hold of the sandwich with both paws and looked at it. “Well, here I go,” she said. She brought the burger to her mouth and took a bite as Nick watched with curiosity.

Judy closed her eyes and slumped in the seat as the flavor hit her tongue. She let out a short, soft groan of bliss as she slowly began chewing. Nick stared at her, still not having touched his own food. He couldn’t recall having ever seen Judy enjoy eating _this_ much. She then surprised him even further as she straightened up and eagerly went back for another bite, then another, and _another._ Nick was astonished, but couldn’t help feeling amused.

“Maybe our little prank caller knew what he was talking about after all,” he teased.

“ _Mmh…_ Very funny, Nick,” retorted Judy, her voice muffled by all the food in her mouth. She swallowed and gave another blissful groan. “I can’t believe how amazing this is!” she exclaimed. “I should have tried eating bugs ages ago!”

Nick laughed as he opened his box and began eating his own burger. “I never thought I’d hear those words from a _bunny_ of all things!” he said.

They went on with their lunch and Judy relished every bite of her cicada burger, blissfully unaware of what she was truly becoming.

* * *

When lunch was over, the two began deciding how to spend their one day off together for the week. Since Judy had only lived in Zootopia for a couple years, Nick offered to take her on a little sightseeing tour to see some of the older, more interesting locations in the city.

They traveled across the city map all that afternoon, taking in many sights as they did. They had seen much of the city during the big ‘missing mammals’ case some time ago, but never got a real chance to take any of it in. Now that they were mostly on their own time, however, they could stop and really appreciate all the great things that Zootopia had to offer. From the scenic gondolas of the Rainforest District to the lush waters of the Canal District, it was a very enjoyable day for both of them.

With every location they visited however, Judy couldn’t help but be curious about what other sort of meat based foods there were to be had. Nick was floored by her sudden interest with meat, especially since she had always been so repulsed by the stuff in the past.

“You sure you’re not just _pretending_ to take an interest because of what happened last night?” he quizzed, a hint of suspicion in his voice.

Judy shook her head. “Not at all,” she answered sincerely. “I can’t explain it, but all of a sudden all these meaty foods are looking and smelling really nice to me. It’s weird.”

Nick thought this over for a moment. “Well, if you’re _really_ sure about this, I could introduce you to a few more staples of the predator diet that I’m quite fond of,” he offered. “What do you think of that?”

Judy smiled. “I’d like that,” she said. “I’m actually starting to get a little peckish again.”

“ _Already?_ After scarfing down a whole double cicada burger in one sitting?” Nick laughed. “And here I thought _I_ was a bottomless pit!”

So, as they went about their tour, they stopped at many places so that Judy could take in some new, more predatory tastes. They tried a great many things. Cricket chips, BBQ mealworms, grilled shrimp and even deep fried scorpion. Such things that Judy previously would never have considered trying in a million years, but today they all just looked, smelled and tasted so incredible to her.

Yet, as much as she ate, she just couldn’t seem to get enough.

As the sun disappeared over the horizon, Nick was reminded of his and Judy’s agreement the previous night.

“So, what do you feel like for dinner, Carrots?” he asked. “That is of course if you’re not too stuffed from all the snacking we’ve done today.”

“Nope,” Judy replied. “I’ve got just the place in mind, too. It just opened a few days ago.”

In a small, lesser known district of the city called _Little Tsurumi_ was a small sushi restaurant for predators, known simply as _Shiki._ Nick continued to be taken aback by his partner’s newfound fascination, or perhaps _obsession_ was a better word, with meat based cuisine. But, her eagerness to explore the predator’s diet seemed very genuine, so he chose not to press her further.

Deep down, though, as he watched the little bunny pop bite after bite of raw fish into her mouth, happily grunting and muttering about how delicious it all was, he couldn’t help but start to feel a little concerned for her health.


	3. Temptation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy 4th anniversary to my favorite animated Disney movie!

Judy and Nick returned to work the following morning. Chief Bogo gave out his orders in the bullpen as per usual and sent the bunny and fox out on patrol for the day. As they drove around Savanna Central, talking about all the things they did the previous day, Nick began to notice some faint, but familiar scents in the air.

 _Cream cheese, chives, tomato…_ Suddenly, his ears perked. _Wait. Is that…is that…_ salmon?

He looked with suspicion toward his partner. “Say, Carrots?” he asked.

“Hmm?” Judy answered, as she slowed to stop at a traffic light.

“…What did you have for breakfast this morning?”

Judy turned to her partner, looking somewhat abashed. After a brief moment of silence, she looked away. “Well,” she began, “I _did_ stop by that little cafe I usually go to on the way to work, and today they were having a sale on these bagel sandwiches with this stuff called ‘lox’ and…they just looked so _good,_ I…”

Nick stared at her, raising an eyebrow. “How many?” he asked sternly.

Judy turned to him again. “What?”

“How many did you eat?” the fox urged.

Judy looked ahead to the road. She seemed hesitant to respond. “Maybe…one…or two,” she said quietly.

Nick paused for a moment to take this in. “ _Two?_ ” he repeated.

Judy looked back at him, chagrined. “Umm…yeah,” she confirmed.

Nick leaned back, a look of deep concern on his face. “Listen, Fluff,” he said, “I’m glad to see you taking an interest in trying all these new things, but you really might want to slow down with all the meat. You and I both know it’s not exactly healthy for a bunny to be eating like a predator.”

Judy smiled. “Nick, I’m fine, really,” she soothed. “I can take care of myself.”

Her partner looked doubtful. “You _sure_ you haven’t felt any kind of stomach pains, or queasiness, or anything like that?”

Judy shook her head. “Nope, never felt better,” she said gleefully. “Honest.”

Nick sighed and looked away. “Well, if you say so,” he settled. “Just…be careful, okay? I don’t want you putting your health at risk for my sake.”

Judy gently patted his shoulder. “I’ll be okay, Nick,” she said. “Thanks for caring about me, though. It’s very sweet of you.”

The fox smiled back at her. “Well, _someone_ has to, right?” he teased. “You bunnies are just so _delicate._ ”

Judy scoffed and gave him a playful sock on the arm. Nick laughed in response. The light had changed by now and they started moving again. Although Nick was a bit relieved that his partner seemed no worse for the wear from her new, more predatory tastes, that shred of concern for her wellbeing continued to linger deep inside him.

* * *

Their shift went on steadily. A little patrol here and there, a brief traffic stop for a busted taillight, a close call with a jaywalker in a hurry, all pretty standard stuff for the two cops by now. Throughout it all, however, Judy was becoming increasingly aware of the feeling of hunger building up inside her again. She did her best to put it out of her mind, but by midmorning it had become so distracting that she simply _had_ to eat something.

When they stopped at a gas station to refuel their cruiser, Judy excused herself to go into the adjacent convenience store while Nick tended to the pump. Walking down the well-stocked aisles, she browsed through many of the snacks that were on display, gazing at the many rows of bagged chips, candy, nutrition bars, canned nuts and seeds, dried fruit…

Suddenly, her eyes were drawn to a group of small, vacuum sealed packages, and leaned in closer to read one of the labels:

_SAVANNA DRY: ALL NATURAL ALLIGATOR JERKY_

Judy’s stomach gurgled at her. She quickly clutched her abdomen to silence it, but she could still feel it writhing unhappily with emptiness.

 _I really shouldn’t,_ she thought to herself. _Nick’s right, a bunny like me shouldn’t be eating that kind of stuff._

The doe turned her attention back to the other, non-meat based snacks there were to offer. After grabbing a bag of dried blueberries, a couple of nutrition bars, and a pack of trail mix, she was about to go to the register, but stopped as her stomach lurched once again, as if pleading for something more. She slowly turned back to the display of gator jerky, feeling quite torn.

Judy thought and considered for what felt like eternity. She gave a quick glance out the store window and saw Nick was still at the pump, gripping the nozzle and tapping his foot impatiently as the cruiser’s gas tank was being filled. She bit her lip and darted her eyes back and forth between the display and the window.

Finally, with one last growl of protest from her belly, Judy lunged toward the display and snatched up a packet of the salted snack.

By the time she was out the door with her bag of goodies, Nick had just finished filling the gas tank. He wiped his forehead in exasperation as he closed the cap and hung the nozzle back up.

“ _Phew!_ ” he exclaimed. “We must have gotten the slowest pump in the city! I thought that tank was never gonna fill up!”

“Well, I already paid for it inside, so at least we can get going now,” Judy said, already climbing back behind the wheel. Once they were both seated in the car again, Nick noticed the little brown bag his partner was clutching.

“What’cha got there, Carrots?” he asked.

“Oh, just a few snacks,” she answered, trying her best to hide her nervousness. She hastily dug through the bag and pulled out the dried blueberries. “Here, I got you these.”

“Oh,” Nick said, taking the bunny’s offering. “Um, thanks.”

“Sure, no problem,” Judy said swiftly.

As they pulled back out onto the street, Nick couldn’t help but notice his partner’s sudden jitteriness. “You okay there, Fluff?” he asked.

“Yeah,” answered Judy, “I'm fine.”

Nick looked at her for a moment. “You _sure?_ ”

Judy just kept watching the road. “…Yeah,” she whispered. “I’m sure.”

Nick could tell his partner wasn’t quite telling him everything, but ultimately decided not to pressure her for more. They _did_ have a job to do, after all.

Throughout the rest of their patrol that day, Judy did her best to act natural, praying that Nick wouldn’t get curious and discover the packet of jerky tucked snugly at the bottom of the bag beside her. Fortunately, he never did. At some point during the afternoon, Nick left Judy alone in the cruiser for a few brief minutes to speak to some delinquents spraying graffiti on a building side.

Seizing the moment, Judy frantically fished the packet of jerky from the bag, tore it open, and gobbled the tasty, chewy morsels down as quickly as she could. Then, she sneakily hopped out the cruiser’s window to chuck the empty wrapper into a nearby dumpster and was back in the driver seat before Nick was any the wiser.

Before they knew it, their shift had ended. The bunny and fox bid each other farewell and went their separate ways.

* * *

Back in her apartment, Judy sat on her bed browsing the web on her cellphone as she pondered over what to have for dinner. She really didn’t feel like cooking anything tonight, and she wasn’t too keen on another microwave dinner, either. She began looking up nearby restaurants, hoping to find one that could deliver to her. She scrolled through the list. Many places either didn’t deliver to her complex, or had already closed for the day. She began to grow frustrated.

Suddenly, she stopped as one caught her eye: a fast-food chicken chain called _Clucker's._ Still open, with fast delivery to her apartment available via _Zuber Eats._ Judy’s heart began to race. This was a whole nother beast altogether. It wasn’t the same as bugs, fish or even reptile meat. This was chicken. _Poultry._ It was the one meat group that even _Nick_ was opposed to eating. Even whenever the tod had to partake in meat for his health, as was the case right now, he still drew the line at eating birds. More than once in the past he proclaimed that he had never eaten poultry meat in his life, and never had a desire to.

But curiosity beckoned her. Next thing she knew, she was scrolling through the online menu. She gazed longingly at the options. Sandwiches, wraps, nuggets with dipping sauce, all of it seemed to be calling to her. Her mouth began to water. Her stomach gurgled noisily at her, churning with impatience as she struggled to fight her growing temptation.

Should knew she shouldn’t. She can’t. She _mustn't._ She…

* * *

Judy slumped in the chair at her desk, groaning in pure delight as her teeth bit through the very last nugget of breaded goodness. Oh, how lovely it was. So tender, so juicy, seasoned to utter perfection. She chewed slowly, savoring every last little bit of flavor. She swallowed and let out a hearty breath, feeling as though she had just died and gone to heaven. Then, out of the blue, she straightened up and let out the loudest, most disgusting belch she ever had in her entire life. She immediately clasped both paws over her mouth and blushed.

“ _Duuuuude,_ ” came a muffled voice from across the wall, “that was a nine out of ten! Way to go, meter maid!”

" _DUDE,_ ” shouted another voice from the same side, “that bunny cop did a _ten_ out of ten, shut up!"

“ _You_ shut up!”

“ _YOU_ SHUT UP!”

Judy groaned in embarrassment as the argument continued. She looked down at all the numerous crumpled sandwich wrappers, empty boxes, dipping cups, stained napkins, and takeout bags piled up in front of her. The strong smell of chicken hung in the air all throughout the apartment, even though every last bit of the stuff had long gone down the bunny’s throat by now. She had eaten quite a lot of it, too. She glanced at the receipt, piled up among the wrappings. Two crispy chicken sandwiches, a sixteen piece nugget box with dipping sauces, a grilled chicken wrap, just reading through it all again almost made her-

A loud gurgle suddenly filled the room. Judy froze as a chill ran up her spine. _No._ It was impossible. _Absurd,_ even. How could she _possibly_ still be hungry? _How?_ After all that chicken she just ate?

She glanced back and forth between the receipt and the discard pile on the desk. Her heart began pounding and her nose twitched rapidly as a horrifying realization struck her. She, a rabbit, a _herbivore_ by nature, had just gorged herself on a tremendous amount of poultry meat _in one sitting._ By all accounts, such an action would be thought extremely hazardous or even _lethal_ for a prey animal such as her. Yet, she didn’t feel sick. She was _still hungry,_ in fact.

Something was wrong, here. _Very_ wrong.

In a frenzy, she hopped out of the chair, sweeped the discarded wrappings and boxes into her wastebasket, and snatched up her cellphone. She frantically scrolled through her contacts before finding the one she was looking for: _Dr. Mugwort, MD._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shout out to Spelter and Rynadine for writing Bucky and Pronk’s banter. Also thanks to one of my beta readers, The Unaccomplished Writer, whose name I forgot to mention at the start of chapter one.


	4. Doctor's orders

Dr. Thomas Mugwort was top of his class in medical school. One of the finest rabbit doctors around, with more than thirty years of experience under his belt. He had just about seen it all, no ailment seemed to be out of his league.

Until today, that is.

He wasn't quite sure what to think when one of his patients, namely one Judy Hopps, called him in the middle of the night and desperately pleaded with him to see her the next day. He was uncertain at first if his schedule would allow it, but the strong sense of urgency in her voice convinced him to find a spot for her.

When she arrived in his office early next morning, she looked more or less the same as when he’d seen her during her last checkup. This puzzled him somewhat. Why had she sounded so frantic the previous night when she looked perfectly fine? Nevertheless, he abided by her. Perhaps there was more to it than met the eye.

But things only got more perplexing from there. He stood there silently, trying hard to process everything Judy was telling him, but her story was… _ unusual, _ to put it mildly. A rabbit? Eating  _ meat? _ It went against everything he knew about biology, which was quite a lot. Even then, being a rabbit himself, he would still know something about this was terribly off.

There’s no way it could be true. Even if a bunny were to  _ attempt _ to consume any sort of meat product, there’s no possible way they would manage it without becoming violently ill in the process. So it made it all the more baffling when Judy told him just how  _ much _ meat she’d supposedly eaten in just the past two days. More than many of his predator patients typically would, even. If what she was telling him was indeed true, she would surely be gravely unwell if not dead.

Yet, here she was. Up, active, strong as ever. Now, Judy had never lied to him before, and he couldn’t think of any reason for her to do so now, but her story just simply didn’t add up. Her concern seemed genuine, however. Even if  _ he _ didn’t believe it, it was clear that she most certainly did, and he wanted to help in any way he could.

“…and no matter how much I eat, I just keep getting hungrier and  _ hungrier, _ ” Judy explained, the feeling of worry ever-present in her voice. “I don’t know what’s happening to me. I don’t know what to  _ do. _ ”

Mugwort pondered for some time. “Well, Judy,” he said at last, “I must admit I’m at a bit of a loss here, myself. You claim you’ve been eating large amounts of meat with no ill effects, but…I’m sorry, it just doesn’t seem plausible.”

Judy’s eyes widened as a feeling of dejection struck her. “You…you don’t  _ believe me? _ ” she croaked.

“Now Judy,” put in Mugwort, “You know I would never accuse you of lying to me. You’re one of my best patients, and so far you’ve proven yourself to be very health conscious.” He placed a paw on her shoulder. “I believe that  _ you _ believe something’s wrong, and I want to help you. If there truly is something the matter with you, I’ll do everything I possibly can to find out what it is.”

Judy looked glum and said nothing. Mugwort continued. “Let’s give you a quick examination,” he soothed. “See if we can’t find anything.” Judy looked down and slowly nodded. That was something, at least.

Mugwort looked her over as best as he could. He checked her pulse, oxygen levels, lungs, eyes, ears, throat, everything he could possibly think of, but the results were all perfectly normal. Judy was about as healthy as a rabbit her age could be. Finally, he finished by checking her weight. She stepped up to the scale and he looked at the readings.

“Nineteen pounds,” he confirmed. “Seems you’ve gone down a couple since I saw you last.”

Judy’s jaw dropped. “You’re telling me I actually  _ lost _ weight?!” she exclaimed. “That’s impossible, I’ve been eating like crazy! Where the  _ fertilizer _ did it all go?!”

“Well, excess stress has been known to cause weight loss,” replied Mugwort. “…as well as increased appetite.”

Judy looked questionably at him. “Have you felt particularly stressed about anything lately?” he asked.

Judy sighed. “I don’t know. I guess maybe I  _ have _ had a lot on my mind since Nick had to start eating meat again.”

Mugwort’s ears perked. “What’s that, now?”

“Oh! Nick Wilde, my partner,” Judy explained. “He’s a fox, you see. We get along really well,  _ most _ of the time, but…” She shook her head and made herself get back on track. “Anyway, he usually tries to get by without eating meat ‘cause he knows it makes me uncomfortable, but sometimes his protein gets too low and he has to go back to eating it for a while to get it back up again.”

“I see,” said Mugwort thoughtfully. “ _ Has _ Mr. Wilde’s recent need to consume meat caused you any increased stress?”

Judy scratched the back of her head, pondering. “Well, I don’t know about  _ stress, _ really,” she said. “But it did kinda make me wish  _ I _ could eat meat, too, so we could have one more thing in common. Then, on our last day off together a couple of days ago, I got the urge to try a cicada burger, and…” She trailed off and went silent.

Mugwort put a paw to his chin. “I may not be a psychologist,” he began, “but I have a suspicion that the sympathy you feel for Mr. Wilde may be having effects on the rest of your body.”

Judy’s ears perked hopefully at this revelation. “Yeah?”

Mugwort nodded. “You said Mr. Wilde is experiencing protein deficiency, correct? Perhaps the feelings you have for his situation are somehow tricking your body into thinking you  _ also _ need to increase your protein intake.”

Judy looked thoughtful for a moment. “Well, what should I do, then?” she asked.

“For now, I’m going to prescribe that you start taking a protein supplement,” he said. “One that’s safe for rabbits, of course. You should be able to find some at any pharmacy or grocery store. Take a bit with every meal, if need be, and see if that curbs these meat cravings of yours. Think you can do that?”

Judy nodded. Mugwort smiled. “Alright, then. I suppose I’ll see you at our next checkup,” he said.

Judy stepped off the scale and shook his paw. “Thank you, doctor,” she said quietly.

“Have a good day, Judy,” he replied kindly.

Judy walked out of the office. Part of her felt better to have at least gotten  _ some _ answers, but another part of her was still very worried.

* * *

On her way home, Judy decided to make a run to the local  _ Safewhey _ to find a supplement for herself and pick up some extra groceries while she was at it. After she had convinced Dr. Mugwort to make her the appointment the previous night, it suddenly hit her that she would also have to do something she was absolutely loathe to do: skip work. Although Chief Bogo typically wasn’t fond of last-minute schedule changes, he wasn’t an unreasonable sort, either. So when Judy had explained her emergency doctor’s appointment to him, he had enough understanding to allow her to take the extra day to sort herself out. It did mean she would have to be apart from Nick, though, and she wasn’t exactly thrilled about that.

As Judy entered the store, she suddenly heard the text message alert on her phone. She pulled it out of her pocket, already having a pretty good idea of who was texting her. Sure enough, it was Nick.

_ N: hey carrots, just thought I’d check in on ya. how’d it go with the doc? _

A small smile appeared on the doe’s face. It always warmed her heart to be reminded of just how much her partner cared. She began typing her response.

_ J: Everything went fine. He did say I should start taking a protein supplement, so I’m gonna pick one up while I’m out. _

_ N: alright. just give me a shout if you need anything okay? _

_ J: I will, Nick. Thank you. <3 _

Putting her phone away, Judy grabbed a small cart and made her way to the  _ Health and Personal Care _ section of the store. After browsing the surprising array of options for a bit, she picked up a twelve-pack of  _ Pro-Go Max _ protein shakes, labeled as safe for all mammals, and heaved it into her cart. With that out of the way, she set out for the  _ Produce _ section.

With all the meat she’d been eating the past two days, she’d all but forgotten about the fruits and vegetables she always enjoyed before. The stuff in the store was never as good as the fresh crops from her family’s farm, but it would do in a pinch. She went about gathering her usual choices. Cucumbers, tomatoes, kale, lettuce, berries and of course, carrots. She contemplated making herself a nice salad for dinner.

The more she looked at the produce she was collecting however, the more it began to look a bit…unappetizing. She wasn’t sure why, but today her usual food choices just weren’t grabbing her the way they normally would. Regardless, she went with them. Maybe they’d look better to her once she got home.

She went through the aisles and picked up a few more things. Bread, almond milk, peanut butter, crackers, all general things she liked to keep stocked up. But as she was placing the last item in her cart, that dreaded gurgle hit her ears once more.

_ Oh, no, _ she thought, cringing and grasping her abdomen.  _ Not  _ again, _ not  _ now!

She gripped the edge of the cart and began taking deep breaths.  _ Alright Hopps, get a grip, _ she mentally told herself.  _ You can fight this. It’s just a matter of willpower, that’s all. _

With a swell of determination, Judy composed herself and set off for the checkout.

* * *

The ride back to Grand Pangolin Arms was mercifully short. Judy thanked the Zuber driver and carried her grocery bags to the building's communal kitchen. She quickly set about putting everything in its proper place, trying as hard as she could to suppress the fierce hunger rapidly growing inside her.

As she loaded the case of protein shakes into the refrigerator, she took the opportunity to tear it open and take one out. She unscrewed the cap and sniffed the mouth of the bottle. Her face scrunched a bit as a rather bizarre scent entered her nose. She wasn’t sure how to describe it, but it certainly wasn’t pleasant. Regardless, she put the bottle to her lips. The thick fluid flowed across her tongue and down her throat. After two or three gulps, she stopped and shuddered.

“ _ Ugh! _ ” she spluttered. “This is  _ disgusting! _ People actually  _ drink _ this stuff?!”

Her stomach let out a disapproving growl. She scowled and looked down at it. “Oh, be quiet!” she snapped. “This is for your own good!”

She went back to her business, reluctantly gulping down the shake as she did. She saved the loaf of bread and jar of peanut butter for last so she could make herself a quick sandwich to take back to her apartment. She also threw a few leaves of lettuce on it, just for good measure. She carried her sandwich on a small paper plate back up to her apartment, along with the now half empty bottle of protein shake.

Judy sat at her desk and began eating her sandwich. As she took her first bite and started chewing however, she quickly noticed something about it tasted kind of…off.

Now, Judy had made herself peanut butter and lettuce sandwiches many times before. More than she could count, even. But this one, for whatever reason, just didn’t taste right somehow. The lettuce in particular seemed to have a rather odd flavor to it.

_ Maybe I picked a bad head, or something, _ she thought.  _ I’d still better eat, though. I’m practically starved. _

She went on eating her sandwich and drinking the remainder of her protein shake, doing her best to ignore the foul taste of both. All the while her gut continued to growl and lurch in protest. She managed to choke down about three fourths of the sandwich, but simply couldn’t stomach another bite after that. With a sigh of defeat, she slid the leftovers off into her wastebasket.

What’s more, even with both the sandwich and the shake inside her, she found that she only seemed to feel hungrier still.


	5. Struggle

Judy tossed and turned in her bed, groaning and clutching her still growling gut. She hadn’t slept much the previous night, her mind far too preoccupied with just how much meat she had eaten. She resolved to take a quick power nap that afternoon to make up for it a bit, but her stomach wasn’t having it; it churned and gurgled almost constantly.

She had attempted to soothe it a few minutes earlier by making a quick return trip to the communal kitchen and chugging down another one of those god-forsaken protein shakes, but within moments of dropping the empty bottle in the wastebasket, she felt hungry all over again.

Even worse, instead of easing up, her meat-cravings were actually growing stronger. Every time she closed her eyes, visions of various meaty foods flashed before her. Cicada burgers, fresh fish, fried chicken…

The poor bunny cried out in discomfort and sharply sat up as her belly lurched violently, roaring at her like a savage beast.

“Why is this happening to me?” she whimpered. “I’ve had a sandwich and _two_ shakes in just the last hour, but I’m hungrier than ever!” She buried her face in her paws, feeling quite helpless. A moment later however, she raised her head back up with a determined look on her face.

“Alright, pull yourself together!” she said to herself. “You’ve never let anything keep you down before, and you’re certainly not gonna start now! You are _Judy Hopps!_ You are without limits!” She hopped out of bed and stood up as tall as she could. “You are _limitless!_ You can beat this! You can do _anything!_ ” She gave a confident smile and firmly nodded.

It was getting late by now, still a couple of hours before Nick’s shift would end. Since sleeping seemed to be out of the question, Judy decided to take a little walk downtown to stretch her legs. With that, she snatched her keys and cellphone, and strutted out the door.

* * *

Judy walked through Savanna Central, her face beaming with confidence. She was in a much better mood now, her hunger having been put almost completely out of her mind… _Almost._

As more time passed though, the more her stomach continued to growl at her, its demands growing stronger and stronger. But Judy was determined to not let it get to her.

 _Just don’t think about it,_ she thought to herself. _You can handle it, it just takes a little self-control._

She continued walking, looking at her surroundings to keep her mind busy. Suddenly, she spotted a small standing sign in front of a bistro as she walked by it.

_TODAY’S SPECIAL: SHRIMP GUMBO_

Judy felt her body begin to quiver. She could just imagine the smell of it in her mind, almost as if it was actually traveling up her nostrils right now. Her eyes widened and her mouth began to water as her stomach rumbled garishly, as if urging her to go inside and-

She slapped herself in the face. “No!” she scolded. “You’ve had too much already!”

She ambled along, looking at nothing but the sidewalk now. Her mind wandered all over the place, trying hard to distract herself from the awful hungry feeling growing inside her. But then, she stopped again as a very real smell now hit her nose. She looked up and sniffed the air, searching for the source, and was drawn to a small cart across the street selling kebabs.

Judy’s eyes widened again. She recognized the smell at once. _Chicken._ The cart was selling chicken kebabs. She knew the scent from the grilled chicken wrap she had the previous night, and felt her mouth water once more as she remembered. She cringed and clutched her belly as it contorted again, growling louder than ever.

“Stop it… _stop it,_ ” she pleaded through her teeth.

She turned away and sprinted off down the street as fast as she could.

* * *

Judy pushed open the door of the cafe and bolted inside. She stopped and took a few moments to catch her breath. She’d never realized until that day just how easy it was to find meat based foods in this city. It seemed like everywhere she looked there was another shrimp cart, or Bug-Burga chain, or ad for the Tundratown fish market.

And whenever she spotted one of these, it triggered her cravings all over again, making her even hungrier each time. By the time she had gotten to the cafe she knew so well by now, she was so famished that she had to physically restrain herself from leaping into the garbage can beside the building for the half eaten lox bagel sitting atop all the rubbish.

She straightened up and looked down at her stomach, feeling very worried. _I don’t understand, what’s happening to me?!_

“Excuse me, miss? Are you alright?” came a rather confused voice.

Judy looked up in surprise, and saw the dingo barista giving her an awkward stare.

“Huh? _Oh!_ ” she exclaimed in embarrassment. “Y-yeah, sorry.” She walked up to the counter. “I’ll, uh…have a deluxe veggie wrap and a bottle of water, please.”

The dingo rang her up, and before long she was on her way to one of the empty tables with her food. She took a big gulp from her water bottle as she relaxed into her seat. She peeled back the wrapper from her veggie wrap. Her nose was immediately hit with the familiar aroma of lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, cucumbers and onions all encased in a thin, floury tortilla. She’d had many of these wraps here in the past, and always found them quite nice.

…So why was _this_ one, right now, actually making her feel queasy? It was the same one she always ordered, with all the same ingredients, why did it suddenly smell so…bad?

 _Maybe I’m just tired,_ she thought. _It_ has _been a pretty crazy day._

She opened her mouth and bit into the wrap. She chewed for a moment, then paused as it hit her taste buds. She swallowed and promptly gagged.

“ _Blech!_ ” she exclaimed. “This is awful! What the _crab-apples_ did they do to this thing?!” She dug through it with her fingers, trying to find anything amiss, but all seemed to be in order. Judy was baffled.

“What’s going on here?!” she blurted. “It’s never tasted this way before!” Suddenly, she cried out in pain as her stomach clenched once more.

 _Come on, now,_ she thought to herself. _Don’t let it beat you. Remember, it’s all about self-control._

She took in a big breath, held it, and started wolfing down the wrap as quickly as she could, chugging the water bottle in between to help it go down.

After she’d finished, the dingo barista watched in concern and bewilderment as she left the cafe with one paw clinging to her abdomen, and a sickly look on her face.

* * *

Judy slowly stepped into her apartment, feeling quite unwell. She very much regretted eating her veggie wrap so quickly now. She closed the door behind her and trudged slowly to her bed as her stomach churned unhappily. She flopped sideways onto her pillow and groaned.

She couldn’t understand it. She had eaten several of those same veggie wraps in the past, and never once did they ever make her feel sick. _Never._ So what made this time so different? From what she could see, nothing about the wrap she had today was any different from the ones she’d had at that cafe before. Yet, here she was, curled on her bed, feeling like she was about ready to-

Suddenly, Judy sat up sharply as a _very_ unpleasant feeling came over her. She gagged, choked, and clasped both paws over her mouth. She quickly sprang up from the bed, flung the door back open and bolted down the hallway to the bathroom.

A few _horrible_ minutes later, Judy stumbled back into her apartment looking like hell. Her stomach was empty once more, an even fouler taste than before now lingered in her mouth. She couldn’t remember the last time she had lost her lunch that badly. After taking a moment to collect herself, the doe looked in the mirror on the wall and noticed she had forgotten to clean her face. Grabbing a few tissues from the box on her desk, she stood up close to the mirror and began wiping her face, murmuring about reporting the cafe for food poisoning.

As she finished cleaning her face, she thought she’d also better check if anything had caught in her teeth as well. She opened her mouth, pulling her lips wide apart…and froze in pure terror at what she saw. Her eyes went wide as saucers. Her nose twitched violently. _No._ It couldn't be. It was biologically impossible. There’s no way she could be seeing what she was seeing.

Judy had grown canine teeth.

Teeth that were typically only found in predator’s mouths. Teeth that rabbits were never meant to have. Teeth that were… _in her mouth!_

She slowly touched the tip of one of them with her finger. It felt solid, hard, _sharp._ She put a bit of pressure on it, and felt the point press against her skin. It was real, alright.

She backed away from the mirror as panic began to set in. She began hyperventilating, her heart threatened to jump out of her chest. It was too much.

She sprinted out of her apartment, down the stairs, and out into the city streets as fast as her legs could carry her.

* * *

Nick entered his apartment, having just returned from his shift. The day felt much longer than usual without Judy by his side, but somehow he got through it. He was quite relieved to be done with it, though.

As he began to undo the buttons on his shirt, he suddenly heard a frantic knocking on the door. He only got it maybe halfway open before Judy came rushing in, breathing hard and speaking so rapidly he could barely understand her.

“ _Nick!_ Something's wrong with me, _really_ wrong! I drank the protein supplement like the doctor said, but it didn’t help at all! I can’t stop thinking about meat and I’m getting hungrier all the time! I tried to go back to my regular diet, but now I can’t seem to eat veggies anymore without getting sick! I actually _threw up_ a few minutes ago because of a veggie wrap I ate! And then…and _then…_ ”

Nick grabbed on to her. “Woah, woah, slow down there, Carrots,” he soothed. “Maybe you just need time to readjust, or something. It’s only been a day.”

Judy gazed up at the tod with a forlorn look on her face. “…I don’t think that’s going to help, Nick,” she croaked.

Nick was surprised. He’d never known Judy to be so hopeless before. Perhaps something truly _was_ wrong. “Why not?” he asked.

Judy struggled to find her voice again, on the verge of bursting into tears. “Right before I came here…I-I looked in the mirror…and I…” She couldn’t seem to finish. The thought of it still terrified her so much.

Nick looked her in the eyes, showing concern. “Go on, Carrots,” he said quietly. “You can tell me.”

Judy looked back at him. “Nick,” she said, “…look at my teeth.” She opened her mouth, exposing her pearly whites to the fox before her.

Nick looked for a moment, then reeled back as his eyes snapped wide open. “ _Oh my God!_ ” he gasped. “When was the last time you _flossed,_ Fluff?” he finished with a smirk.

Judy looked hurt. “Nick, I’m serious!” she snapped. “ _LOOK!_ ” She pulled her upper lip back and pointed to one of her newly discovered 'fangs.'

Nick stopped smiling at once. His eyes widened in disbelief. He slowly leaned closer, gently taking hold of Judy’s face. He squinted and cocked his head sideways, trying to process what he was seeing. “What the-…?” He let go and looked back at the doe’s eyes. “Are those… _canine teeth?_ ”

Judy nodded slowly. Nick scratched his head. “Wow,” he said. “I didn’t think bunnies could even grow those things.”

“They _can’t,_ ” Judy replied. “That’s what’s scaring me! No bunny has _ever_ had canine teeth! It’s not biologically possible! So why do _I_ have them all of a sudden?!” Her rambling quickly turned to blubbering as she buried her face in her paws. “I’m _scared,_ Nick!” she sobbed. “I don’t know what’s happening to me!”

Nick took the bunny into his arms. “Come here, come here.” He held her tight and gently stroked her drooping ears. “I’ll help you get through this, Carrots,” he consoled. “I’ll stay right by your side, I promise.”

Nick tried his best to act brave, but deep down he was just as terrified, and just as clueless as his partner was. He ended up letting her stay at his apartment for the night, just for support. Neither of them got much sleep, though. The dread for what tomorrow could bring never leaving their minds. And, all the while, the vicious hunger within Judy only seemed to keep on growing.


	6. Breaking point

_“Then put your little paw in mine, there ain't no hill or mountain we can't climb…”_

Nick let out a groan and flailed his arm from the sofa trying to find his phone. Finally, he got a hold of it and silenced the alarm. He looked at the on screen clock: _5:00 AM._

With a yawn, he groggily sat up and rubbed his eyes. _Better get Carrots up,_ he thought. _Hope she slept better than I did._

He rose and began stumbling toward his bedroom, still basically one-third asleep. After Judy had agreed to stay at his place for the night, Nick had insisted she take his bed so she’d be more comfortable, ignoring her objections.

The fox grabbed hold of the doorframe to steady himself as he nearly toppled over. Putting a paw to his head, he tried to shake out the remnants of sleep. Suffice to say, Nick was not a morning kind of mammal; being a member of a once predominantly nocturnal species can have that effect.

He gently knocked on the door. “Carrots?” he called. “It’s time to get up, now.” His ears perked as he listened for a response. Instead, he could hear what sounded like these short, frequent snarls. Puzzled, he cautiously pushed the door open and peeked inside. “ _Carrots?_ ”

Judy was curled up in the bed, writhing from side to side. Her eyes were shut tight and her forearm was covering her muzzle. Nick approached the side of the bed to get a closer look, and nearly jumped back when he saw that Judy was _gnawing on her own arm in her sleep._

Nick grabbed her shoulder and started shaking her. “Carrots! _Carrots!_ Wake up!”

Judy quickly sat up as she awoke, her eyes snapping open. She looked around for a moment, then turned to Nick. “S-sorry,” she said. “I didn’t hear the alarm.” Her face scrunched as she smacked her lips. “Why is there fur in my mouth?”

Nick darted his eyes around awkwardly. “Uhh, don’t worry about it,” he said. “C’mon, we gotta get ready if we’re gonna have time to go pick up your uniform.”

* * *

They reached Judy’s apartment building shortly. Nick waited outside the door as she went in to change into her uniform. As she did, the dreadful hunger within her continued to grow at an alarming rate, not helped by her sleep deprivation.

Her stomach gave another harsh growl, prompting her to cry out softly. The trouble was undoubtedly getting worse, and she wasn’t sure how much longer she could keep it under control.

Once she was all set, she took one last look in the mirror as she normally did before heading out. Usually, she would look at her reflection and see a bright eyed, eager little bunny ready for anything the world could possibly throw at her. But this time, that spark of enthusiasm had all but vanished. Now, all she could see was a broken, terrified mammal who had lost all hope for herself.

With one more gurgle from her stomach, Judy gave a sigh and trudged slowly out the door.

Judy and Nick walked silently to ZPD headquarters, side by side. The silence was awkward and continuous, completely unlike their usual repartee. Judy’s head hung low, and her ears sagged behind her shoulders. Along the way, Nick kept noticing his partner constantly clinging to her abdomen as it continued to gurgle and twist uncomfortably.

“Hey, look,” the tod began, “if you’re not feeling up to working today, it’s fine by me, really.”

“Nick, no,” the doe said firmly. “I can’t miss another day, it’s out of the question.”

Nick was doubtful, but he knew better than to argue with her by now. “Alright, if you’re sure,” he sighed.

Judy didn’t respond. Deep down, she _wasn’t_ so sure of herself anymore.

* * *

Judy and Nick entered HQ and began making their way to the front desk. Officer Clawhauser greeted them warmly as they approached.

“Good to see you back, Officer Hopps!” he said cheerfully. “Feeling better today, I hope?”

Judy gave the best smile she could, although it was clear from looking at her she was not in the best of spirits. “Not really, to be honest,” she admitted, looking down at the floor. “I…had kind of a rough night.”

“Aw, sorry to hear that,” Clawhauser replied. “Well, I hope things pick up for you soon. Better head to the bullpen though, before the Chief shows up!”

“Yeah, we’re cutting it close as it is,” agreed Nick. “C’mon, Carrots.”

“Right,” Judy answered, and the bunny and fox began walking away. As they went, Judy looked back to give Clawhauser one last wave of reassurance. She froze for a brief moment as something immediately seemed wrong. There at the front desk, where the cheerful cheetah once stood, appeared to now be…a giant cicada burger?!

Judy blinked and shook her head, and suddenly the enormous sandwich had vanished and Clawhauser returned in its place. A chill ran up the doe’s spine as she tried to process what she just saw, only to be snapped back to reality by Nick urging her to keep up. She scurried after him, reaching their seat with barely a minute to spare.

The bullpen meeting went on typically, although Judy was finding it increasingly difficult to focus, and her lack of sleep was becoming very apparent to those around her.

“Are you _with us,_ Hopps?” came an annoyed voice.

The bunny jolted and straightened up. “Y-yes, sir,” she said nervously. “I’m listening, sir. Sorry.”

Bogo just grunted and looked back to his notes. “Officers Hopps and Wilde…” He paused as he gave one more glance to the pair, an unusually thoughtful look on his face. “ _Hm._ Desk duty,” he said at last. “Dismissed.”

Surprised, Judy started to raise a paw in protest, but Nick stopped her. He looked her in the eyes and softly shook his head, silently advising her not to argue. Judy was visibly unhappy about this arrangement, but was too deprived of energy to push it further.

Sometime later, Judy was sitting at a desk looking over some paperwork. She was trying as hard as she could to concentrate, but her hunger was driving her insane. Her stomach growled furiously at her, writhing uncomfortably as it did.

_Don’t think about it…Don’t think about it,_ she thought to herself. _You’re in control…_

Nick sat next to her, helping her with the work. He could see his partner was having a hard time. “You alright, Carrots?” he asked. “Need a breather?”

“N-no,” replied Judy with a grimace. “I can…h-handle it.” She grunted and grasped her abdomen as it contorted for what felt like the millionth time.

Nick put a paw on her shoulder and leaned in close. “Do you need me to get you anything?” he asked quietly. “A snack, or something?”

Judy was breathing quite hard. She didn’t look at Nick, instead hanging her head and keeping her eyes shut. “I…I’m _fine,_ ” she said through her teeth. “I can _fight it…_ ”

Another fierce growl escaped her belly, prompting her to give a painful cry. Nick was really beginning to worry, it pained him to see his partner in such a state.

At that moment, a young, somewhat petite sheep officer entered the cubicle clutching a large folder. “Wilde, Hopps? Here’s another one for ya,” he said. “Got lost in the cabinet, sorry.”

“No worries, Shepherd,” smiled Nick.

Shepherd held the folder out to Judy, waiting for her to take it. Instead, she just stared at his outstretched arm. Her eyes were wide and her mouth hung open just slightly. The sheep looked around in confusion. “Uhh…are you okay, Miss Hopps?”

Judy didn’t answer. She slowly leaned closer and began sniffing Shepherd’s arm, seemingly in a trance. The sheep shied away nervously. Nick grew anxious.

“Carrots?” he said worryingly. “ _Judy?_ ”

Judy still didn’t respond. She got up slowly from the chair and kept staring straight ahead. Then, without warning, the doe lunged forward and grabbed onto Shepherd’s arm with both paws. She stretched her mouth open, saliva pooling at the edge of her lips…and froze.

Judy looked up, finally snapping out of her trance. Shepherd was staring her in the face, absolutely petrified. The doe turned back to see Nick staring at her with a look of pure shock. She turned back to the sheep’s arm and realized what she was doing.

She released Shepherd from her grip and buried her face in her paws. “Oh my gosh, _I’m so sorry!_ ” she cried. “I don’t know what came over me, I haven’t been myself at all lately and I haven’t slept well and I just… _I’m sorry._ ”

Shepherd slowly placed the folder on the desk behind her. “I-it’s okay,” he stammered. “I’ll…just leave you two to your business, no problem.” He slipped hastily out of the cubicle.

Judy raised her head from her paws. She turned back to Nick, who was now looking at her with a very concerned expression. “I…I need to use the restroom,” she wheezed.

Nick watched her leave, not taking his eyes off her until she was completely out of his sight. He wasn’t quite sure what to make of what had just happened. One thing was certain, though: something was horribly wrong with his partner. It almost seemed like her appetite was taking on a life of its own, and was growing so desperate for more meat it was willing to make the little bunny do _anything_ to get it. Even if it meant-

Nick shuddered as he tried to shake the grisly image from his mind. “I’ve been watching too many horror movies,” he muttered to himself.

* * *

Judy cupped her paws under the running faucet and splashed the cold water against her face. She took a deep breath as she turned the tap off and grabbed a paper towel to dry off.

She took a long look into the mirror, and saw the same broken rabbit from this morning staring back at her once more. Confused, terrified, helpless. She thought long and hard about what had just happened back in the office. Had she really just tried to do what she thought she did? Had she really, truly reached the point where she would actually feel the urge to…to…

_…What have I become?_

Just then, she saw in the reflection, one of the stalls directly behind her opening, and out from behind emerged… _a huge chicken kebab?!_

Alarmed, Judy gave a yell and instantly spun around. She was answered with a startled cry from Officer Kitt Pawson-Clawhauser, who had suddenly taken the kebab’s place. The young cheetah looked with concern at Judy as she collected herself.

“Are…are you okay, Judy?” she asked earnestly.

Judy’s heart hammered in her chest, her nose twitched violently. She gave a brief, horrified look at Kitt before sprinting out the door in a panic as the cheetah called after her. “Judy, what’s wrong?!”

Judy ran back out into the lobby, panting uncontrollably. _No._ That did _not_ just happen. She did _not_ just see what she saw. She did _not_ just imagine another living mammal as-

She was stopped in her tracks as she bumped into Officer Wolfard. The timber wolf looked down at her in surprise. “Woah! What’s the big rush, Hopps?”

Judy shook her head, looking at the floor. “S-sorry, Wolfard,” she said nervously. “I-I wasn’t looking where I was-” She looked back up and gasped in horror as the canine before her had vanished, and had been replaced with… _a jumbo grilled shrimp!_

Judy gave an abrupt yelp and backed away in alarm, startling Wolfard into doing the same. This drew the attention of many other nearby officers, who all stopped to look at the trembling bunny.

Judy looked around frantically at all the mammals staring at her, and the panic continued to rise. One by one they all began turning into different meaty dishes before her eyes. As they did, she also began to vividly imagine the smells of each one entering her erratically twitching nose. She was overwhelmed by the scents of salmon, gator jerky, bug burgers…

The doe cried out in anguish as her tummy roared its biggest roar in her lifetime, twisting itself in a knot once more. She bowled over and tightly grasped her head as her mind began to race. Frantically she fought for control, but it was growing unbearable. She was being tormented by her own mind and body. Her sanity was slowly but surely slipping away, consumed by her now monstrous hunger. She was in _hell._

_So hungry…can’t take it…OH GOD, SOMEBODY PLEASE MAKE IT STOP!_

* * *

Nick nearly jumped out of his skin as an ear splitting shriek filled his ears. He quickly got out of his desk chair, vacating the cubicle as fast as he could to see what the commotion was. He stopped just outside the main office and was horrified to see his partner charging and thrashing around the place, screaming and throwing everything she could get her paws on. Some of the other officers tried chasing her, only to have to dodge oncoming debris or lurch away to avoid being assaulted by the berserk bunny.

Nick ran up and tried to restrain her. “Judy, _stop!_ ” he cried. “Snap out of it, you’re gonna hurt someone!”

Judy was deaf to his pleas. She jerked and struggled violently trying to free herself from the fox’s grip, growling and screaming in such a manner that almost seemed savage.

“Come on, Carrots! Get a hold of yourself!” Nick said firmly, fighting to keep the rabbit contained. “This isn’t like you!”

Judy continued to struggle as Nick tightened his hold on her. She clawed at his arms and tried to pry him off, but the fox wouldn’t budge. Suddenly, without warning, Judy opened her mouth, her canine teeth gleaming under the artificial light, and bit down hard on Nick’s arm.

Nick wailed in agony as the rabbit’s teeth tore through his skin, prompting him to release her. He immediately looked at his arm. The fur was damp and stained with blood. A couple of thick red droplets trickled down, dripping steadily onto the floor. He looked back up and watched his partner continue her rampage in disbelief.

This wasn’t the Judy he knew. Not anymore. She had become a vicious, flesh-eating bunny monstrosity. A prisoner of her own mind and body.

“ _Delgato!_ ” came a shout from across the hall. “Go get a tranq-gun from the weapons locker, _STAT!_ ”

With a pain building in his heart, Nick knew what he had to do. Within moments, he had grabbed his own tranquilizer gun instead and loaded it with the appropriately sized dart. He reluctantly grabbed hold of Judy again to hold her as steady as he could.

“I’m so sorry, Judy,” he whispered.

He pulled the trigger, and Judy fell limp in his arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to Midlou for allowing me the use of his OC, Kitt Pawson-Clawhauser. Read more about her in his fanfic: “ZPD: Badges & Beloved.”


	7. Remorse

Nick sat in the hospital room, his arm wrapped tightly in bandages. After he had tranquilized Judy, Chief Bogo had ordered that they both be taken to the hospital to be assessed. The bite had left some nasty lacerations in Nick’s arm that required a few stitches, but he was too busy worrying over his partner to care about his own problems.

He looked at her, now lying unconscious in a hospital bed. She breathed very slowly, the heart monitor hooked up to her beeping every couple of seconds. The doctor had said that she was stable and seemed as though she would be fine, but Nick had his doubts. He thought long and hard over all the strange things that Judy had been going through lately, trying to make some sense out of it all.

First, there was that phone call she spoke of, some creep who promised to “grant her wish” to eat meat. Nick didn’t think too much of the whole thing when Judy told him, but looking back now, it was admittedly an eerie coincidence. Then, just like that, she suddenly decided she wanted to eat a cicada burger with him. Yes, the very same food whose scent had nearly made her sick the night before was now suddenly the tastiest thing imaginable to her. He knew Judy said she wanted to try and become more tolerant of his dietary needs as a predator, but how the heck did she pull a complete 180 overnight?

Then, Judy actually started taking interest in trying _more_ meat dishes, ones she’d have never even considered trying before. Next thing he knew the little bunny was putting away more protein than a pack of starving wolves. Yet, despite the known health risks of a bunny consuming meat, Judy never faced so much as a bellyache from any of it. In fact, it only seemed to make her crave even more. She also seemed to gradually stop eating her usual fruits and vegetables as well. Come to think of it, Nick couldn’t recall seeing her eat _any_ veggies during their shift the following day. He could have sworn his nose could just make out the faint smell of alligator jerky toward the end of their patrol, too. At the time he thought maybe he was imagining it, but now he wasn’t so sure. She _did_ seem awfully jittery after they left the gas station.

He had tried his best not to show how scared he was when he found out she’d called in sick the day after. Nick knew Judy well enough to know that she was anything but the type of mammal who would deliberately try to get out of work, so if she was the one calling in for herself, it _had_ to be serious. Bogo relayed her message to the fox that she was having issues with her stomach and needed to check things over with her doctor. Nick could well remember the dreadful amount of worry and guilt he felt all throughout his shift that day, thinking he had indirectly made his partner sick by getting her addicted to meat. It was somewhat of a relief when she responded to his text message by telling him things went fine, but part of him still couldn’t help but feel concerned. Then that very night she showed up at his door in utter panic, showing him her new canine teeth.

_Canine teeth._ In a _rabbit’s_ mouth. Nick still had trouble believing it, even after seeing it with his own eyes. She was also rambling about having become unable to stomach vegetables anymore, to the point that trying to eat them actually made her vomit. Now, Nick never considered himself a superstitious mammal, but it was quite clear by that point that whatever was happening to Judy was anything but scientific. There was so much more to it. Something abnormal, something… _otherworldly._

Nick pondered. Craving meat, inability to eat veggies, canine teeth, these were not traits that one would associate with a prey animal. These were the traits of…a _carnivore._

Yes, it boggled the tod’s mind to think of it, but there was simply no other explanation: somehow, someway, Judy had become a carnivore. An animal that fed strictly on meat and little else. History had shown that lots of predators were known for being fully carnivorous in the stone age, but over time majority had gradually evolved to become able to metabolize more non-meat based foods, effectively turning them into omnivores instead. Contrariwise, many prey animals went through a very similar evolution that allowed them to actually consume non-plant proteins, albeit in minute amounts.

...But a fully carnivorous _bunny?_ That was simply unheard of. It was absurd, _unthinkable_ even. But there was no denying it: Judy had become it. The world’s first and only carnivorous rabbit, whose compulsion to consume meat had grown so powerful it had completely destroyed her sanity, leaving behind a broken, empty shell of the optimistic little bunny she had once been.

Nick’s heart ached. He so deeply wished there was something he could do. _Anything._

The tod gave a sigh and laid back on his own bed. He grabbed his phone and tried to find some way to pass the time. Suddenly, it began to ring. An unfamiliar number appeared on the screen. Normally, Nick didn’t like to answer a call from a number he didn’t know, but something in him felt this call was somehow important.

So, he answered. “Talk to me.” After a moment of silence, he heard a quiet, foreboding voice.

“…Good evening, _Nick._ ”

“Well, not for me it ain’t,” muttered Nick. “Can I help you with something?”

“On the contrary,” replied the voice, “I believe it is _I_ that can help _you._ ”

Nick was puzzled. “Yeah? With what?”

“With your wish, Nick,” said the voice. “You _do_ have a wish, don’t you?”

Nick pondered this for a moment, then he sat up as a sudden realization hit him.

“ _…You,_ ” he said slowly. “You’re the ‘wish’ guy that called Judy a few days ago, aren’t you?”

“You certainly are a _clever_ fox, aren’t you?” replied the voice. “I take it Judy’s wish didn’t work out as well as she hoped, did it?”

Nick seethed. “She’s been out of whack for days!” he snarled. “She’s constantly been eating meat like crazy and going insane from hunger because she can’t ever get enough! She’s been scared to death because she doesn’t know what’s happening to her!” He ranted, anger building in his voice. “And now, she and I are both in the hospital because I had to tranquilize her after she went bonkers in the office and practically _bit a chunk out of my arm!_ ” He held the bandaged arm up to emphasize his point, even though he knew the caller couldn’t see it.

“And _you,_ ” Nick went on, “ _You’re_ the one that did this to her, aren’t you? Alright, talk! Who are you? _What_ are you?”

“I am the one who _grants wishes,_ ” the voice said slowly. “Every once in a while I choose a certain special mammal, and reveal myself to grant them exactly one wish. Judy had her wish granted. She wished to be able to eat meat, like predators. But you see, every wish granted can have unforeseen side effects. Judy was informed of this before I granted her wish, but she chose not to heed my warning…and now, she has paid the price.”

Nick was _fuming._ He felt as though he could crush his phone with his bare paw. “You son of a-”

“However,” the voice interrupted, “it seems tonight is your lucky night, Nick.”

“Oh no, don’t give me that,” said Nick. “I don’t want _any_ of your business, pal. The only thing I want is-”

“Judy to be cured?” the voice asked.

Nick paused. He gave a quick glance to the bunny in the other bed, then sighed. “Alright, listen here and listen _good,_ ” he said firmly. “I don’t know _what_ your game is or why you decided to show up out of nowhere just to torture my partner, but you’re gonna _fix_ this, you hear me? Right here, right now.”

“I can do that,” the voice replied. “But be warned-”

“ _No,_ ” Nick interjected. “Don’t give me that “unforeseen side effects” stuff, alright? I want you to put Judy back the way she was, understand? Just take your damn curse away and leave both of us alone so this whole mess can all be forgotten. _Do I make myself clear?_ ”

Nick heard the phone disconnect. He looked at the phone screen and saw the number one last time. He attempted to call it back right away, but was only met with a pre-recorded message stating that the number was no longer in service. He shook his head and gave a sigh as he put the phone down and looked back over at Judy, still in her bed.

He gazed at her for several minutes before he suddenly felt lightheaded. He blinked and placed a paw to his head as the room began to spin. Finally, he fell backwards and hit his pillow as everything went black.

* * *

Nick awoke in a daze. He looked around and realized it was now daylight. As his eyes began to focus he spotted his phone beside him. He picked it up to look at the time: _7:09 AM._

The dizziness had mostly passed by now. Nick put the phone down and began rubbing his eyes. Suddenly, he froze as he heard a small sound beside him. He quickly turned his head and saw that Judy was beginning to stir.

His heart pumping, Nick hopped out of his bed and went up beside his partner’s. “Judy?” he whispered.

Judy turned to the source of the voice and slowly opened her eyes. She looked around a bit in confusion. “Where am I?” she asked.

Nick let out a sigh of relief as he heard her voice. “You’re in the hospital,” he answered. “The chief ordered us to come here and get medical attention after your little… _episode_ yesterday.”

Judy was puzzled. “‘Episode’?” she pondered, looking to the window beside her bed. “My memory must be a bit hazy,” she said. “Bogo wasn’t _too_ upset, was he?”

“Well, he didn’t care much for all the damage done to the office,” the fox said. “But I think he was more concerned with your mental health than anything else.”

Judy sighed. “ _Cheese and crackers,_ ” she muttered. She turned back to the smiling tod.

“So, how are you feeling?” Nick asked. “You, uhh…hungry at all?”

Judy shook her head. “Not really,” she said, looking down. “My stomach kinda hurts, actually. Other than that though, I feel okay.”

“That’s good to hear,” Nick said. “The last part, that is.”

The doe rolled her eyes and gave a little smile. She looked at the tod’s face, then blinked twice and cocked her head sideways a bit as her smile faded to another look of confusion.

Nick’s face fell. “Something wrong?” he asked. He quickly wished he _hadn’t_ asked, though, as the very next thing Judy said immediately shattered his heart.

“…I’m sorry, sir, do I know you?”

The fox stared blankly at the bunny for a moment. A smile slowly crept onto his face, and he began to laugh. “Okay, very funny, Carrots,” he chuckled. “A little joke to lighten the mood, right? _That’s_ my tough little bunny!”

Nick’s laughter faded as Judy’s brow furrowed. She eyed the fox before her strangely. “Did you just call me ‘ _Carrots_ ’?” she asked, seemingly offended.

Nick’s smile vanished. “Well…yeah,” he said. “I’ve always called you that. It’s like our thing, remember?”

Judy raised an eyebrow and shook her head slowly. “I’ve never seen you before in my life,” she said.

The fox’s eyes widened as he slowly realized she wasn’t joking.

“Judy…” he said, a hint of desperation in his voice. “Judy, it’s me, Nick, your partner. We’ve known each other for like two or three _years._ You _have_ to remember me!”

Judy bit her lip and darted her eyes around, as if deep in thought. “Well, I remember joining the ZPD a couple years back, then there was that missing mammals case…then something about these flowers called ‘night howlers,’ which I always knew as ‘midnicampum holicithias’ until Gideon brought them up at the farm, but…” She winced and put a paw to her head. “So much of it is just a blur,” she said.

Nick was baffled. “Well, if you remember all that stuff, you must remember me!” he said, growing more desperate. “I was _there!_ I helped you solve that case! It was how we became friends in the first place, you’ve _gotta_ remember!”

Judy leaned back nervously. “I…I’m sorry,” she said quietly. “I really don’t know who you are. The only fox I know by name is Gideon Grey, back in Bunnyburrow. Wait, did you say _we_ solved that case? I don’t think I remember that, either.”

Nick just stared at her. His maw hung open and he was breathing very hard. Panic was beginning to set in.

_No. No no no, this can’t be happening!_

“Judy, _please!_ ” the fox begged. “Uhh, Jumbeaux's Cafe! That’s where we first met, remember? The jumbo-pop? The pawpsicles? Come on, you’ve gotta give me something! Anything! _Please!_ ”

Judy scooted back, wide-eyed. Her nose began twitching as she grew anxious. “I-I’m sorry, I-I’m really trying, but…I really don’t remember any of that, it’s all just so fuzzy.”

Nick’s ears sagged. His face fell further as he shook his head. “No,” he croaked. He looked down and tightly gripped his scalp. “No, no, no, no, _NO!_ ”

He quickly spun around, sprinted back to his own bed and began frantically mashing the call button.


	8. Forgotten

It was all over. Nick had lost her. She hadn’t gone, but he’d lost her.

They had given Judy as thorough an examination as they could, but found no sign of any head trauma, brain damage, or any cognitive issues. No one could explain her sudden memory loss. Strangest of all, it seemed the only memories that had gone where ones pertaining to Nick specifically. Just about everything up until the moment she first met the fox remained completely intact within her subconscious, as did many key events afterward, such as her brief return to the burrows and learning of her parent’s partnership with Gideon Grey’s bakery. Thus, her once hidden prejudices toward foxes had also not returned, which was a mercy.

But she no longer knew _him._ Anything and everything about Nicholas Wilde was a complete mystery to her now. Helped her to solve the city’s biggest case? Not as far as she knew. Convinced him to become the ZPD’s first fox? News to her. Worked side by side with him for the better part of more than _two years?_ Really? _That_ long?

It was truly an odd pattern. It was like someone had just cut little holes in Judy’s memory wherever Nick was relevant and left everything else alone. Well, _almost._ It seemed all her memories of her recent meat addiction problems had also been relieved of her.

Indeed, her hunger problems in general had all but ceased. She no longer desperately craved the taste of meat, and her canine teeth completely vanished without a trace. Judy’s metabolism had completely reverted to its previous state, that of a herbivore, as a bunny should be. On that end, Nick was thankful she would no longer suffer the horrible torment he witnessed her go through those terrible few days, but why did her memories of their friendship have to go away with it?

Worst of all, as no one could determine the cause of her bizarre amnesia, it was most likely that all Judy’s memories of Nick were lost forever.

“…and it’s all because of my _big mouth!_ ”

Nick was sprawled out on the futon in the back of Finnick’s van, while the fennec himself instead sat curled in the driver’s seat fiddling with his cellphone, looking rather aloof. It had been a few days since Nick and Judy had been discharged from the hospital, but Nick still couldn’t stop obsessing over her memory loss. The whole thing left him feeling a big, empty space in his heart where the little bunny had once been.

“I mean, how many times in my life have I heard the saying ‘be careful what you wish for?’ A _lot!_ ” Nick rambled. “That’s how many! And like the _idiot_ I am I gave that stupid wish guy the perfect chance to screw me over! If I had just thought it through for _one lousy second_ I could have figured out a way to get Judy back without any strings attached! But what did I say I wanted?”

“ _‘For the whole mess to be forgotten,’_ ” Finnick groaned, having heard the sentence one too many times already during this story.

Nick sighed and covered his face with both paws. “That’s just the kind of reckless wishing a literal genie looks for,” he muttered. “And now, because of that little slip, I’m a total blank to her…I don't know what to do, Finn.”

Finnick gave a sigh of his own. He wasn’t sure why he was still listening to this. He and Nick hadn’t been in contact much after the tod had joined the police force, so it seemed rather odd that he decided to come to him _now_ of all times. What a story he told, too. Spontaneous phone calls from some weirdo who has the power to turn bunnies into carnivores and erase memories just because someone _wished_ for it? What kinda crazy Rod Steerling malarkey was _that?_ And since when did Nick of all mammals believe in such fairy tales?

The fennec put down his phone and hopped out of his seat. He looked at his former associate and folded his arms. “Do you really want _my_ advice, Nick?” he asked in his surprisingly low voice.

Nick sat up slowly and looked back at him. “Well, yeah,” he answered. “I mean, I know we haven’t really talked in a while, but until I met Judy, you were probably the closest thing I ever had to a friend. So, I figured you were the best - the _only_ \- mammal I could turn to at a time like this.”

Finnick raised an eyebrow. He and Nick had worked together for a long time before he joined the ZPD, but he always considered their relationship to be strictly as business partners. If you could even call hustling ‘business,’ that is. He never really considered Nick a _friend,_ per say, and he certainly never believed the red fox felt even remotely close to him, either. He stood silent for a moment to process this revelation, then sighed again as he recomposed himself.

“Well, it might not be the answer you were hopin’ for,” he began, “but if you really want her back so bad, why don’t you just try startin’ over with her?”

Nick’s brow furrowed. “Start over?” he mused.

“Just go up and talk to her,” Finnick went on. “Reintroduce yourself, tell her how you feel, ask her if she wants to rebuild.”

Nick thought this over. “I don’t know, Finn,” he said. “I mean, what if she _doesn’t?_ I don’t know if I could take that kind of rejection from her.”

“Just give a shot,” the fennec replied. “You said you’ve both still got a couple days of recovery leave left, and it’s not like you have much to lose anyway.”

Nick sighed. “Ain’t that the truth…” he muttered.

* * *

Nick trudged slowly up the staircase, head down and ears tucked back. He was trying to prolong this as much as he could out of dread for the potential outcome. What would he say? What would _she_ say? Would she even want to speak to him at all? He hadn’t exactly made a good impression on her back in the hospital, what with him freaking out in front of her and calling the nurse in out of sheer panic. Getting her sent to have all those tests done on her head probably didn’t help her opinion of him, either.

At last, Nick arrived at the target floor. He paused here to look down the hallway to the door that was his destination. He stood there for what felt like eternity, wondering if he could really do this. In all the time he had gotten to know her, Judy Hopps had become his whole world. The little bunny was more precious to him than life itself, and the very idea of her turning him down scared him to death.

The tod gave a heavy sigh as he ambled onward, soon finding himself standing directly in front of the familiar door. This was it, the point of no return.

Slowly, tentatively, Nick raised his paw and knocked on the door.

A few agonizing moments later, the door opened. Judy looked up at him and her eyes promptly widened.

“Oh! It’s you,” she said, sounding more surprised than anything else. “Umm…Rick?”

The fox tried not to show how much it stung when she got his name wrong. “It’s _Nick,_ actually,” he corrected.

Judy immediately cringed and began tapping her own forehead. “Oh, right right right, _Nick!_ ” she jabbered awkwardly. “That’s what I meant, honest! Just a slip of the-”

Nick put a paw up and cut her off. “Look, look, it’s alright,” he said calmly. “You don’t have to pretend to know who I am. I’ve had time to come to terms with…things.”

Judy’s face fell as he spoke. Although this fox was a stranger to her now, she could tell he was deeply hurting, and she truly did feel sorry for him.

Nick rubbed the back of his head. “Listen, uh…can I talk to you for a minute?” he asked politely. “Please?”

Judy silently nodded and stepped aside to let him in. “Thanks,” Nick said.

A moment later he was seated at the chair by the desk, facing the bed where Judy now sat looking back at him.

Nick spoke first. “Look, I want to apologize for my behavior lately,” he said. “I know it couldn’t have been pleasant to see some strange fox acting like a frantic crazy-mammal over you.”

“It’s okay, really,” Judy said kindly.

“No, it isn’t,” Nick replied. “But I don’t want to wallow over it anymore, so I’ll just cut to the chase.” Hearing that, the doe looked him in the eyes, giving the tod her full attention.

Nick took a breath and began again. “Judy, I know you don’t remember it, but we knew each other. We first met a couple years back, and I helped you to solve the missing mammals case.” He paused and said the next part under his breath. “…after you blackmailed me.”

“I’m sorry?”

“Nothing, nothing, not important,” Nick recovered. “Anyway, after all was said and done, you convinced me to join the ZPD and become your partner, and we’ve been friends ever since.” He hadn’t the heart to say the next part out loud: _Until now, at least._

Judy looked down sadly as her ears fell behind her head. “I wish I _could_ remember,” she said solemnly. Nick nearly shivered when she said ‘wish,’ the very utterance of the word sent a chill down his spine now. He quickly pushed it out of his mind.

“Look,” he went on, “I know things’ll probably never be the same as they were before, but…I don’t want it to end this way…I don’t want _us_ to end this way.” Judy looked back up at him, the sad look still in her eyes.

“I want to keep being your friend, Judy,” Nick continued. “If your old memories really are gone for good, maybe we can make new ones instead. I know this is all awkward and weird, but…I just can’t bear the thought of losing you forever. I’m willing to start over if you are.” The fox was fighting back the urge to choke up as he finished speaking.

Judy was silent for a while. She gazed at the tod’s face for some time, thinking long and hard over his offer. She still didn’t really know him much at all, but the sincerity in his voice was unmistakable. Something deep down inside her knew he meant every word he said. Also, she wasn’t quite sure why, but the more she looked in his eyes, the more they felt a tiny bit… _familiar_ somehow.

A small smile began to spread across her face. “Okay,” she said at last. “I’ll try.”

It took everything in Nick not to burst into tears of joy and relief. He returned a smile of his own. “Thanks, Judy,” he said. “You have no idea how much this means to me.”

They leaned closer and shook each other's paw. Nick dug out his phone to check the time.

“Well, it’s about noon now,” he said. “How ‘bout I start our renewed friendship off by buying you lunch?”

Judy’s ears lifted again as her face lit up. “I’d like that, Nick,” she replied. “And I don’t even mind if you have to eat meat, either.”

Nick shuddered. “ _Ugh,_ ” he gagged. “Don’t even _mention_ that stuff right now!”

The two walked out together, side by side. Nick felt a swell of appreciation as he looked at his partner. This wasn’t going to be easy on him, but Judy was worth it. It would just take a bit of time.

* * *

Finnick lay on his futon, going through the messages on his phone. Apparently Nick had taken his advice and had managed to convince his bunny partner to be his friend again. Deep down, the fennec was actually kind of glad that things had worked out between them. Of course, he would certainly never _admit_ to it.

He snorted as he thought back to Nick’s crazy tale. A wish-granter. _Please._ The red fox had really gone soft in the head. Who would actually believe some all-powerful, wish-granting entity would just randomly call someone up on their phone and magically make their desires a reality?

_What_ a wish, too. A bunny, wanting to eat meat? Ridiculous, that’s what it was. A total waste of a wish, if you asked him. All the same, he couldn’t act like he didn’t understand how it felt to deeply want something.

Standing at a paltry _sixteen inches_ tall head to toe, it was hardly a secret that the fennec loathed how tiny he was. Although it often came in handy with his and Nick’s schemes, masquerading as a toddler of all things was certainly not what he’d call dignified.

Indeed, he couldn’t deny it, there were times where Finnick wished he were bigger. Many times, even. He could recall one particular night long ago, where it got to him so much that he actually snuck over the fence into Little Rodentia so he could feel like a real giant. He cringed in embarrassment at the memory. He couldn’t believe he actually did something so childish. Willingly, that is. But, he was a much more sensible mammal now. He knew no amount of wishing or fantasizing would ever change anything about his size, whether he liked it or not.

At that moment, Finnick was snapped out of his thoughts as his phone suddenly began to ring. The number that appeared was one he didn’t recognize. Normally to him this would be a sign to reject the call right away, but something in him felt curious about this one for some bizarre reason.

He accepted the call. “Who is it?” he said sharply. After a brief moment of silence, a voice answered.

“…Good evening, _Finnick._ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And with that ladies and gentlemen, my first Zootopia fanfic ever has officially come to a close. Words cannot express how immensely proud I am to have finally finished a project for the first time in so long. I hope you all enjoyed reading this little tale as much as I enjoyed writing it.  
> I want to once more thank all my dear friends on the Zootopian Authors Association Discord server for all of their help and support with making this story the best it could be. I couldn’t have done it without them, and I’ll be forever grateful. I love you guys so much.  
> I also want to thank all my readers and commenters for their support as well. It really motivated me to see so many of you enjoy what I wrote and to hear your thoughts on the story as a whole. You all rock.  
> I want to make a special mention to Giftheck for not only providing the cover artwork for this story, but also spreading the word about it on the r/Zootopia fanfic discussion thread. I also want to give one more special mention to Midlou as well, for allowing me to use his OC Kitt in chapter six, and for being one of the biggest supporters of this story while I was writing it. I highly recommend checking out his work too, if you can. Particularly “Pred and Prejudice” and “ZPD: Badges & Beloved.”  
> Once more, thank you all so much for reading, commenting and supporting. This has been one of the most fun projects I’ve done in a long time, and I’m very proud to have seen it through. I hope to write more fanfics in the future, so keep an eye out.  
> Until then, this is Bug_53 signing out. Goodbye, all!


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